THE SINCE ITS ...................................................... INCEPTION , ABELL THE ABELL ...................................................... FOUNDATION FOUNDATION HAS BEEN ...................................................... DEDICATED ANNUAL REPORT TO THE 2010 ENHANCEMENT OF THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN BALTIMORE AND MARYLAND . A HISTORY OF THE ABELL FOUNDATION The Abell Foundation, formerly known as The A. S. Abell Company Foundation, was established on December 31, 1953, on the initiative of the late Harry C. Black, philanthropist and then chairman of the board of the A. S. Abell Company, and the former publisher of The Baltimore Sun . Since its inception as a private foundation incorporated in Maryland, The Abell Foundation has been dedicated to the enhancement of the quality of life in Maryland, particularly Baltimore City. From its beginnings, the Foundation has supported a wide range of community needs. Early records show gifts to hospitals, educational institutions, culture and the arts, and human services, including the Associated Jewish Charities and the United Negro College Fund of Baltimore, Inc. The Foundation’s mission, though shaped early on by Harry C. Black, was given firmer definition over the years by his nephew and successor, Gary Black, Sr. With the passing of Mr. Black in October 1987, the mantle of leadership was passed to his son, Gary Black, Jr., who had trained a lifetime for the position. The Foundation’s leadership over the years has been supported by persons of remarkable dedication and community involvement: William S. Abell, W. Shepherdson Abell, Jr., George L. Bunting, Jr., Thomas B. Butler, Robert C. Embry, Jr., Harrison Garrett, Robert Garrett, Benjamin Griswold III, Jacqueline C. Hrabowski, William L. Jews, William E. McGuirk, Jr., Sally J. Michel, Edwin F. Morgan, Donald H. Patterson, William F. Schmick, Jr., John E. Semmes, and Walter Sondheim, Jr. A new generation of leadership has made its impression on the Foundation’s mission to act as an agent of change. The mission has been broadened to include special emphases on public school reform, community development, workforce development, and health-related human services, including drug treatment and transitional services for returning ex-offenders. The Foundation’s current assets reflect the financial success of The Baltimore Sun and the generosity of Mr. Harry C. Black, who left a portion of his estate to the Foundation. On October 17, 1986, the resources of the Foundation were increased substantially by the sale of the A. S. Abell Company; and most recently, the result of private direct investments. THE ABELL FOUNDATION 1 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FOOD RESEARCH & ACTION CENTER/ MARYLAND HUNGER SOLUTIONS Many neighborhoods in Baltimore City lack full-service grocery stores and have in their place a mosaic of convenience and corner stores that, for the most part, stock packaged goods and processed foods, and do not offer fresh fruits and vegetables. The lack of access to healthy foods in Baltimore neighborhoods has been identified as a contributing factor in disproportionately high rates of obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. These underlying health conditions and chronic diseases, in turn, lead to a need for expensive interventions and health treatments. Concern about resident nutrition and the geographic disparities in accessing healthy food led to the creation of the Baltimore Food Policy Task Force, convened by the city’s Health and Planning Departments. The first goal listed in the final task force report is to promote and expand farmers’ markets throughout Baltimore City, with acceptance of food-stamp Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) benefits as a primary method to achieve this. Maryland’s move to replace paper food-stamp vouchers with cost- saving electronic payment systems unintentionally resulted in food-stamp recipients no longer being able to use their vouchers to purchase fresh produce at local farmers’ markets. In 2010, with grant funding from The Abell Foundation of $20,000 and additional $30,000 funding from the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation and the Wholesome Wave Foundation, Maryland Hunger Solutions worked with three Baltimore farmers’ markets to initiate a pilot project to both remedy the electronic payment barrier and to address the city’s top food policy priority. For the project, farmers’ markets in Park Heights, Highlandtown, and Waverly/32nd Street were selected, based on the interest of market management on neighborhood location, accessibility, and the diversity of produce offerings. Maryland Hunger Solutions provided training around and installation of wireless EBT machines, and promotion to encourage food-stamp recipients to purchase locally grown fruits and vegetables at the markets. Technical assistance was provided to help markets select an EBT card service, purchase an EBT machine, set up an accounting system using tokens, market EBT services to low-income residents and farmers, and oversee market-day operations. The EBT pilot began with seasonal openings of the market operations in June and July 2010. During the season through the end of November 2010, the three markets saw combined EBT sales of fresh fruits and vegetables in the amount of $13,046, representing 668 separate sales transactions. Additional spending through promotional incentive coupons offered to EBT recipients to “double their dollars” totaled $1,375. Most of the sales occurred at the Waverly Farmers’ Market, and there are reports of food- stamp recipients taking two buses across town to access the Waverly market. Each market also accepted credit and debit transactions by any customer for a nominal fee, which was intended to offset the costs of administering the machine and the token system. More than 600 credit and debit transactions were processed, with the Waverly market again having the highest volume. The ability to process debit and credit cards boosted revenue at the Waverly market by an additional $75,000 in food purchases. 2 ANNUAL REPORT 2010 Customers accessing food stamps through the EBT pilot were surveyed by the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, and 98 percent said that the markets’ acceptance of food-stamp benefits was the main reason they came to the particular farmers’ market, and 83 percent said that they had increased their consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables as a result of shopping at the farmers’ markets. EBT customers reported that they were delighted with the incentive dollars, which allowed them to double their purchases up to $5 per visit. In the second year of the pilot, Maryland Hunger Solutions will expand its outreach campaign to not only promote the markets’ ability to accept federal nutrition benefits electronically, but also to encourage increased participation by families and households in the food-stamp program through community eligibility screenings. Maryland Hunger Solutions will provide operating support to each of the markets to cover the cost of administration of the token system and funding for the incentive coupons that increase purchasing power of food stamps. In addition to the three markets, Maryland Hunger Solutions will expand its scope to support the development of a new Saturday market at the West Baltimore MARC station. This area is considered by the Baltimore City Planning Department as one of the prime “food deserts” in the city in which residents lack proximate grocery stores and access to fresh produce. HOMES FOR AMERICA/SCATTERED SITE PUBLIC HOUSING DEVELOPMENT In 1995, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Maryland filed a lawsuit on behalf of a class of approximately 15,000 (at that time) current, former, and prospective African-American tenants of Baltimore City public housing, alleging that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Housing Authority of Baltimore City (HABC) violated the Fair Housing Act by operating predominantly racially and economically segregated public housing developments, and denying tenants access to regional housing and economic opportunities. At the time, nearly 90 percent of public housing and 75 percent of all government-subsidized housing in the Baltimore region were located within Baltimore City. In 1999, as part of the federally funded HOPE VI demolition of Broadway Homes public housing located near Johns Hopkins Hospital, the HABC was required, through a court-ordered consent decree, to provide 58 units of replacement public housing located throughout the region in low-poverty, racially integrated neighborhoods. Homes for America, a nonprofit housing developer based in Annapolis, MD, was awarded the contract to develop the Broadway Homes replacement housing units through a competitive request for proposals issued by the HABC. Since 1994, Homes for America has been developing and renovating affordable housing with on- site services for low- and moderate-income households and persons with special needs. To date, they have constructed or renovated 34 affordable rental-housing communities and 100 affordable homeownership units in Maryland. Homes for America also provides technical assistance and consulting services to other nonprofits and local governments in developing housing and implementing housing plans. THE ABELL FOUNDATION 3 Following the competitive award by the HABC, Homes for America worked to pursue the mobility project, negotiating a funding contract with the HABC, securing additional funding through the Maryland Affordable Housing Trust and other sources, purchasing the houses,